The Seattle Seahawks performed brilliantly against an overwhelmed Washington Commanders team in Week 9, but while the victory was grand, Seattle also lost inside linebacker Ernest Jones IV to a knee injury. His timeline for return is unknown.
Head coach Mike Macdonald has already cemented how he will address the status of injuries to the media. He isn't going to give away much. The coach clearly abhors speaking about players getting hurt.
Jones might be back in a couple of weeks, or he might be out for the foreseeable future. The issue is that Seattle obviously doesn't have much faith in second-year player Tyrice Knight because Knight started the second half of last season, but was benched in favor of Drake Thomas this year.
The Seattle Seahawks should target Saints linebacker Demario Davis in a trade
Jones, though, wasn't just productive, especially against the run; he was also the green dot on Macdonald's defense, tasked with communicating the head coach's defensive alignments, but he was a leader in the locker room as well. Knight is not a real replacement for Jones.
New Orleans Saints inside linebacker Demario Davis might be, though. The Saints aren't good, but Davis is. He is also nearly 37 years old and not a long-term answer for the Seahawks' inside linebacker spots. He doesn't need to be. Seattle simply needs him to be great the rest of 2025.
A trade for Davis is a win-win for the player. While he has played with the Saints since 2018, and he obviously loves New Orleans, he has never gotten close to winning a Super Bowl, and maybe that happens with Seattle this season. Going out on a high note is every player's dream.
For the Seahawks, Davis wouldn't eat up much cap, so he is exceedingly affordable. He might also be moved for a fourth-round pick or later. Seattle can make that work.
But there is little doubt that Demario Davis would make an already very good Seattle Seahawks defense even better. He is solid in coverage, can provide quarterback pressure when needed, but, most importantly, is elite against the run. In Macdonald's system, an inside linebacker's main job is to stop the run. Davis will do that.
Even if Ernest Jones returns quickly, and hopefully he does, Davis could play next to him. Drake Thomas has been good since being elevated to a starter, but Demario Davis is still better. The Seahawks should try to acquire him.